Chapter 254
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 254
Chapter Title: National Hero
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Among the dark monsters' races, the red orcs were infamous not just in Korea but across the entire world.
Not only did they make up the largest numbers among the dark monsters that invaded human lands through dungeon breaks...
"They're the ones responsible for wiping out the male seed among humanity's genders."
Listening to So-jeong's words, Minguk recalled the red orcs' characteristics.
These bizarre creatures targeted and killed anyone with male genitalia, raid leader or not. That's why whenever red orcs appeared, raid teams—not the military—were dispatched to the area to dry up their seed.
Anyway, true to their massive numbers, there were countless named monsters in gates and dungeons with the red orc codename.
Among them, 'Red Orc Captain – Kanbara' was one of the commander-class individuals. Excluding the Red Orc King, presumed to lurk in an 【S】-rank dungeon, it was considered the most powerful dark monster of the red orc race.
"Anyway, this guy 'Kanbara' shows up from the start of the raid with his minions in tow."
As he began the briefing, Minguk pointed at Kanbara with his hand.
Kanbara grinned wickedly at the male hero's gesture toward it. It was a provocative face, as if urging him to hurry up and fight.
"He's acting all nonchalant and brazen now, but once the battle starts, red orc hordes will swarm from all directions."
Of course, swiftly dealing with these red orc minions was the key to the early strategy.
The more minions that piled up, the more Kanbara's health continuously recovered. Meanwhile, the heroes' mana was finite, so a prolonged fight spelled nothing good.
"First up, Yuna."
"Yes!"
At Minguk calling her name, Yuna raised her hand with a spirited shout. Facing Kanbara, who was no different from her father's killer, she was burning with fighting spirit.
Minguk had planned to assign Yuna a crucial role in this Kanbara raid anyway. A special task force, so to speak.
"You'll be responsible for keeping the red orc mage in check throughout every phase of the 'Kanbara' raid."
"...Pardon? Orc mage?"
"Yeah. You've seen it in the strategy videos, right?"
Watching Yuna slowly nod, Minguk continued his explanation.
"Once the battle starts, all dealers will handle the emerging minions. As you know, the fight's likely to turn into chaos right from the get-go."
And regarding melee in chaos, Minguk planned to leave it to each individual's skill and instincts.
With years of raid experience together, there was no need for him to spell it out.
Even without much explanation from Minguk, the heroes seated before him showed they understood.
"Anyway, while the main force deals with the orc minions, Yuna, you need to spot the red orc mage among the emerging monsters."
"Does it show up right as the battle begins?"
"Can't say for sure. I'll help you look, though."
In the videos, it appeared about a minute after the fight started.
But since this was an untested raid, he couldn't guarantee it. Minguk's gaze turned to Yuna.
"Anyway, when the red orc mage appears, you have to disrupt its berserk skill."
"That... one where its eyes glow red and it raises its arms like cheering while chanting?"
"Exactly. You must block it no matter what."
Minguk nodded in affirmation.
Once the berserk skill activated, the red orcs' attack power and speed would surge dramatically. Think of it like Kim So-jeong's 'Symphony of Destruction' ability, but used by a red orc.
Naturally, the named boss Kanbara was a red orc too.
If the mage successfully triggered berserk, the raid team attempting the try would be wiped out.
"Think you can handle it?"
"I'll... do my absolute best."
Yuna's expression was subtle at Minguk's question.
She seemed burdened by the thought that a single mistake could doom the entire raid. But in the chaos, no other hero could check the orc mage like Yuna could.
Melee dealers would struggle to even reach it amid the fray, and Ye-rin and Na-yeon had much shorter attack ranges compared to Yuna's Shooting Star mode.
Having assigned the special mission to Yuna, Minguk pressed on with the briefing.
True to its 8th-grade named status in an 【A-2】 dungeon, 'Red Orc Captain – Kanbara' pressured the heroes with a variety of abilities.
While handling the red orc hordes, tanks had to hand off aggro based on debuff situations, and dealers and healers had to dodge the red zones that spawned throughout the fight.
Moreover, if an ogre—not a red orc—appeared, all dealers had to focus fire to take it down.
Of course, checking the red orc mage remained essential even then.
"If you get hit with the red curse, immediately detach from the main force and head to the battlefield's edge. Lure it so the blood ground spawns there until the curse lifts. Obviously, that spot should be opposite the chaos, right?"
The GGW raid team's heroes muttered and memorized furiously to not forget Minguk's ongoing instructions. With all explanations complete, the try began.
"Orc mage at 11 o'clock!"
"Hyaah!!!"
At Minguk's command, Yuna's arrow shot out like lightning.
Was it her determination to definitely take this one down?
Yuna's performance checking the orc mage exceeded Minguk's expectations. The battle against the orc horde went smoothly too.
The problem was...
"Red curse! Ye-rin!"
"Huh?!"
Some were too focused on the fight to check their debuff status.
At Minguk's callout, Ye-rin tried to detach from the main force quickly, but it was too late. A blood ground spawned near the main position.
"Move main force to the opposite side of the blood ground!"
Stepping on blood ground would drain the heroes' health while restoring Kanbara's, forcing Minguk to relocate the main force outward.
Of course, they couldn't fight the red orcs effectively from there. No matter how much they swung their weapons, the orcs' health kept recovering.
"S-Sorry...!"
Ye-rin bit her lip hard over her major blunder. It was a mistake worthy of a novice hero.
But Minguk didn't dwell on it. Since it was their first try, he hadn't expected flawless performance from everyone.
In the end, the first try failed.
But reaching phase 2 made it a decent result.
The biggest worry had been the mage's berserk buff, but surprisingly, Yuna's checks worked well.
"Whoa! Our Yuna's hitting every shot!"
Resurrected via revival stone, So-jeong gave Yuna a thumbs-up.
Though the try failed, Yuna's exploits shone. Not only did she check the orc mage, but whenever allies faltered in the chaos, her arrows pierced red orc vitals like she'd been waiting.
"Hehe. I've honed my archery for moments like this."
"Our maknae is so reliable."
Minguk nodded briefly at the two women's exchange.
If Yuna maintained this focus, the red orc mage wouldn't be a big issue.
'Compared to her early days, she's grown so much.'
Watching Yuna show veteran poise, Minguk recalled their first meeting.
GGW raid team's founding member.
Originally a temporary teammate gathered with Hyun-ah for hero licenses, Yuna stuck around for years of raids with him, using it as a springboard to dazzling growth.
Especially her success rate on special missions like this.
"Feedback time, then back to try."
It was a solid try, but plenty of shortcomings remained.
Minguk gave concise feedback on team movements and dove back in.
[Foolish fools...! I shall bestow death upon you!]
The moment battle began, a massive orc with fangs jutting near its nose charged at Minguk. Then Oh Hyun-ah's thrown shield smacked Kanbara's face.
[How dare you!]
While the main tank built aggro on Kanbara, sub-tank Tanya and the dealers engaged the orc horde.
Minguk used recovery on injured teammates while batting away incoming orc weapons with his staff. With so many orcs, even healers couldn't guarantee safety in the melee.
You needed basic combat ability to hold out until dealers cleared the rushing orcs.
[Your lives...! I'll devour them deliciously!]
As the fight raged, Kanbara scattered something like sprinkling.
"......!"
Minguk tracked its trajectory without blinking. The instant it hit Ye-rin...
"Ye-rin!"
She detached swiftly, heading to the edge. There, she spawned the blood ground until the curse lifted, then returned to main.
"Yuna! Mage at 12 o'clock!"
"Cover me! I'll handle it with Shooting Star!!!"
"Mai! Take these two!"
"Yes!"
GGW raid team had faced Kanbara only twice.
But their teamwork was beyond counting. Moreover, among Minguk's cartel members, there was an indescribable bond.
Like blood sisters, the heroes' seamless coordination made charging red orcs scream and spill green blood as they fell rapidly.
"Kim So-jeong!"
With all orcs down, at Minguk's command, So-jeong unleashed her ultimate, Symphony of Destruction.
As her hands moved in rhythmic patterns, red mana exploded from her body. Shockwaves erupted from her, enveloping the heroes.
"Burst DPS!!!"
"Raaah!!!"
Amid yells, dealers surged toward Kanbara.
The symphony made mana boil over. They felt they could smash even the Twelve Calamities right now.
"Choi Yuna! 8 o'clock!"
"Got it!"
Even then, Minguk stayed calm, spotting the orc mage and alerting Yuna. Her massive Shooting Star arrow pierced the red orc mage.
Korean heroes harbored intense hostility toward red orcs, one of the dark monsters.
The simple reason: like with Yuna, they were the dark monsters that killed the most civilians during dungeon breaks.
Perhaps because of that?
The second raid ended in wipe from a tank handoff mistake, but after exactly five tries, GGW raid team conquered Kanbara.
Considering they'd needed dozens of tries for similar difficulty monsters, it was astonishing. Minguk was genuinely surprised by the exceeding results.
'Kanbara isn't exactly an easy named...'
It felt like his team had been holding back until now.
Minguk's gaze went to his teammates celebrating over Kanbara's corpse. Of course, the fight hadn't ended cleanly.
The brutal battle up to the final moments left only four survivors by raid's end, including raid leader Minguk.
All tanks and melee dealers dead; among ranged dealers, Shin Na-yeon and Choi Yuna endured, and healer Giselle lasted till the end.
By hook or crook, it was a clear.